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Martin Luther King Leadership Academy

Q: Is Martin Luther King Leadership Academy a good school?

Martin Luther King Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 10.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Martin Luther King Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended Martin Luther King Leadership Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Martin Luther King Leadership Academy?

Students at Martin Luther King Leadership Academy are 72% African American, 17% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% White.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1339^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Martin Luther King Leadership Academy is a PK-8 school in Grand Rapids, MI, serving 299 students as part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, where 92% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Michigan elementary schools over the past decade, though its most recent ranking (10th percentile for 2025-2026) shows a slight improvement from the prior year's 6th percentile.

The most pressing challenge facing this school is chronic absenteeism. With 56.3% of students chronically absent—nearly double the state average of 27.9% and 15 points higher than the district average—the school is trying to educate a student body where more than half are regularly missing significant instructional time. This rate has remained above 50% for five consecutive years. Academic proficiency is low across most subjects, with 3rd grade ELA at 10.8% and math at 13.5% proficiency, compared to state averages of 38.2% and 42.9% respectively. However, there are occasional bright spots, such as 8th grade ELA scores that nearly matched the district average in 2024-2025 before dropping the following year, suggesting small cohorts can produce volatile results.

Comparing nearby schools reveals stark differences. Just half a mile away, Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center ranks in the 91st percentile with only 10.6% chronic absenteeism and serves a much wealthier population (29% free/reduced lunch). Meanwhile, Coit Creative Arts Academy and Congress Elementary outperform MLK despite similar or lower per-student spending ($21,410 and $15,859 vs. $19,053). The school's spending has increased steadily from $15,912 in 2022-2023, yet outcomes remain low. The student-teacher ratio also jumped from 13.6 to 18.4 in one year, suggesting possible staffing changes. For parents considering this school, the defining issue is clear: addressing the absenteeism crisis must be the top priority, as no instructional improvements can overcome the reality that most students are missing substantial classroom time.

299

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,053

Per pupil spending ?

92.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

645 Logan St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-5467

(616) 819-2600

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools

Students who attend Martin Luther King Leadership Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Alger Middle School
	Blandford School
	Center for Economicology
	John Ball Park Zoo School
High:	City High Middle School
	Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
	Innovation Central High
	Ottawa Hills High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.2%

Hispanic:

17.1%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Martin Luther King Leadership Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2013 → 10th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg23%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,339^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

740^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools

480^th of 625Grand Rapids Public Schools among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	1339 of 1492	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	1392 of 1488	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	1346 of 1470	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.3	1311 of 1408	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	1345 of 1448	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.0	1408 of 1466	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.0	1388 of 1548	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.4	1445 of 1580	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.8	1467 of 1533	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.0	1518 of 1563	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.0	1549 of 1566	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.8	1483 of 1552	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.3	1438 of 1552	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.1	1508 of 1589	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	17.8	1432 of 1577	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.2	1522 of 1565	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	18.0	1415 of 1545	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	30.5	333 of 475	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	14.5	1267 of 1443	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	1180 of 1352	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	1209 of 1350	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	1022 of 1134	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	1243 of 1397	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	9.1	1358 of 1446	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.8	740 of 896	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	832 of 838	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.4	889 of 894	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.0	834 of 919	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.5	896 of 921	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	18.1	783 of 919	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	10.9	831 of 900	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.5	784 of 858	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.4	800 of 851	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.8	777 of 847	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	14.1	768 of 839	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	14.8	744 of 823	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	16.0	728 of 806	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	16.9	347 of 366	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	3.2	794 of 794	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	7.8	795 of 815	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2018)30th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2018)12th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2018)6th percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2018)5th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2018)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts16%-24 vs state

Math12%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Martin Luther King Leadership Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Martin Luther King Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	645 Logan St SE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2600	299	16	18.4	92.3%	14 (4.7%)	216 (72.2%)	51 (17.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)	11.6	1339^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.3%		8.2	1392^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	6.5%	53	23.1	323.1	10.8	1369.5	1456.0	23.1	1668.4	13.5	10.3	1454.9	12.0	1654.3	1463.3	1774.1	1461.1	1779.2	$19,053	$2,965	$16,087
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center	Public, Charter	K-5	409 Lafayette Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 459-0330	287	17	16.9	29.3%	190 (66.2%)	35 (12.2%)	38 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.7%)	90.2	130^th of 1492 public elementary schools	91.3%		90.6	113^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.4%	17			70.8	64.0	73.2			60.4	64.0	53.7			63.4		53.7		$12,794	$458	$12,336
Congress Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	940 Baldwin St SE	Grand Rapids	49506	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2201	237	11	20.9	62.9%	94 (39.7%)	67 (28.3%)	60 (25.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	26.9	1053^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	29.4%		54.4	656^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.9%	397			41.2	24.0	34.4			26.5	20.0	21.9			25.0		9.4		$15,859	$1,847	$14,012
Gerald R Ford Academic Center	Public	PK, KG-8	851 Madison Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2640	213	13	16.1	85.4%	2 (0.9%)	109 (51.2%)	95 (44.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	21.1	1158^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.4%		19.8	1164^th of 1488 public elementary schools	21.8%	6	17.7	331.8	15.0	30.3	50.0	1572.3	20.0	20.0	9.1	14.3	1563.3	1674.0	14.3	1765.9	10.7	1778.8	$19,106	$2,985	$16,121
Campus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	710 Benjamin Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49506	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2535	210	14	15.5	92.4%	16 (7.6%)	133 (63.3%)	44 (21.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.6%)								(n/a)			7.7	1369.6	8.3			1257.5	1360.1	1452.3			1471.5		1463.7		$20,278	$2,571	$17,707
Gerald Dawkins Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1050 Fisk St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Gerald Dawkins Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(517) 281-8626	152	13	11.6	96.7%	1 (0.7%)	135 (88.8%)	10 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	24.5	1090^th of 1492 public elementary schools	26.9%		18.4	1189^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.1%	99			16.7	22.2	40.9			33.3	1374.7	13.6			1475.4		1466.2		$20,430	$6,061	$14,369
William C Abney Academy Elementary	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	1435 Fulton St E	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	William C. Abney Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(616) 454-5541	273	20	14.0	—	2 (0.7%)	244 (89.4%)	14 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.4%)	7.8	1413^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.3%		12.1	1318^th of 1488 public elementary schools	11.4%	95			10.3	13.9	16.7	1583.3	22.2	1274.9	1366.5	1466.4	1574.7	1662.5	1472.7		1464.7		$16,374	$3,623	$12,750
River City Scholars Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	944 Evergreen St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	River City Scholars Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 248-3390	286	25	11.4	95.8%	12 (4.2%)	209 (73.1%)	21 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (14.3%)	23.6	1108^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.7%		21.4	1135^th of 1488 public elementary schools	23.7%	27	50.0	347.1	23.8	1373.1	21.1	29.6	18.5	28.6	1366.6	1462.8	19.2	11.5	16.7	18.2	16.7	28.6	$21,257	$2,113	$19,145
Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue	Public	PK, KG-6	801 Oakland Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2947	661	31	21.1	68.1%	47 (7.1%)	39 (5.9%)	558 (84.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	18.9	1199^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.6%		17.4	1212^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.5%	13			13.6	27.7	25.3	17.6		17.5	22.6	19.3	10.3		27.7		19.3		$15,394	$2,103	$13,291
Coit Creative Arts Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	617 Coit Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-7451	246	18	13.8	71.5%	87 (35.4%)	73 (29.7%)	50 (20.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (13.4%)	54	641^st of 1492 public elementary schools	57.0%		46.2	773^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	48.1%	132			40.5	23.8	50.0			40.5	16.7	38.6			54.5		45.5		$21,410	$2,438	$18,971

Frequently Asked Questions about Martin Luther King Leadership Academy

What is the racial makeup of Martin Luther King Leadership Academy?

Students at Martin Luther King Leadership Academy are 72% African American, 17% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% White.

How many students attend Martin Luther King Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended Martin Luther King Leadership Academy.

Is Martin Luther King Leadership Academy a good school?

Martin Luther King Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 10.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Martin Luther King Leadership Academy attend?

Students who attend Martin Luther King Leadership Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alger Middle School
Middle : Blandford School
Middle : Center for Economicology
Middle : John Ball Park Zoo School
High : City High Middle School
High : Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
High : Innovation Central High
High : Ottawa Hills High School

What district is Martin Luther King Leadership Academy in?

Grand Rapids Public Schools

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.